OMSI - science researchhttps://www.omsi.edu/taxonomy/term/371
enThe Antarctic Files: Part IIhttps://www.omsi.edu/blog/the-antarctic-files-part-II
<p>The final flight of the season left the South Pole on Friday, February 14. The departure of that plane officially marked the end of the summer season here. For winter-overs this is a big milestone in our year—there won’t be another plane arriving for over eight months. We, a group of 41 individuals, are now effectively stranded in the heart of Earth’s coldest, driest continent and the dark of winter is approaching. But much of the work over the past few months has been to prepare us for these conditions, ensuring that we have adequate resources and provisions for the task. This is when the real adventure begins!<br /><br /><img src="https://www.omsi.edu/sites/all/FTP/images/Blog/blog_lastflight.jpg" alt="Last Flight leaving South Pole" title="copyright Nicholas Papke" width="450" height="300" /> </p>
<p>Many of us, myself included, have been here since the beginning of November learning our jobs and performing our duties, living and working among approximately 150 people. My primary role is as a Research Associate providing technical support for science projects. Specifically, I am responsible for overseeing the operation of several experiments that examine upper atmospheric physics. We call it “space weather” because most of the activity in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetosphere" target="_blank">magnetosphere</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ionosphere" target="_blank">ionosphere</a> is influenced by solar winds, or streams of fast-moving charged particles that come from the Sun. Fortunately our atmosphere protects us from these particles. I monitor the equipment and make sure everything is running smoothly, archive collected data, and troubleshoot any problems that may arise. Scientists use this data to learn more about the ionosphere and the magnetosphere. While most of this equipment is located in the lab on station, my responsibilities do require daily trips outside to small, remote buildings.</p>
<p>So why do countries send people to Antarctica to conduct scientific research? Much of it can only be done here. Discovering the topography of the continent hidden under the ice, estimating the quantity of ice-locked fresh water, studying how the amount of ice changes with time, and glacial flow behavior are all questions that I imagine a geologist would find interesting. Measuring gases trapped at different depths from ice core samples gives us a history of climate change on our planet. And turning our attention upward, scientists measure the ozone layer above us. Given that it is covered in ice, you might be surprised to learn that Antarctica has volcanic activity. In fact, Ross Island actually has one of the few volcanoes in the world with an exposed lava pool in its crater—<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Erebus" target="_blank">Mount Erebus</a>. With a principle concern in marine life, biologists would be interested in studying the life in and around Antarctica. Very few species of animals live here. Most notable are seals and penguins (polar bears are only in the Arctic up north), which stay on the outskirts of the continent. There are a few other bird species such as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skua" target="_blank">skua</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrel" target="_blank">petrel</a>. Early explorers were surprised to find the ocean waters in this region teaming with life and this discovery is still of interest to modern biologists. Where able, paleontologists have investigated the fossil records here to ascertain what conditions were like during prehistory and several species of dinosaurs have been discovered here.</p>
<p>The given examples are from fields of science that are represented at the two coastal stations, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMurdo_Station" target="_blank">McMurdo</a> and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Station" target="_blank">Palmer</a>. But, due to certain conditions here, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amundsen-Scott_South_Pole_Station" target="_blank">South Pole</a> has its forte in another scientific discipline—physics. We will get into that next time!</p><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/369" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Antarctica</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/169" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">volunteering at OMSI</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/370" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">volunteers</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/371" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">science research</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/372" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Amundson-Scott</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/373" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">South Pole</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/374" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">exploration</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-7" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/383" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">space weather</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-8" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/384" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">magnetosphere</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-9" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/385" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">ionosphere</a></li></ul></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Categories: </h3><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/taxonomy/term/28" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">For Everyone</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Volunteers</a></li></ul></div>Tue, 04 Mar 2014 18:22:49 +0000Nicholas Papke10308 at https://www.omsi.eduhttps://www.omsi.edu/blog/the-antarctic-files-part-II#commentsThe Antarctic Files: Part Ihttps://www.omsi.edu/blog/the-antarctic-files-part-I
<p>Hi. My name is Nicholas Papke and I used to volunteer in the Physics Lab at OMSI. I had to take a break from that role because I am spending the year at a faraway place – the South Pole!</p>
<p>Did you know that there is a scientific research station down here? In fact several countries conduct scientific research at stations all over Antarctica. Back in 1959, 12 countries originally signed a treaty to protect Antarctica, designating it as a place for peaceful purposes only and establishing freedom of scientific investigation. Today there are approximately 50 countries that observe the <a href="http://www.ats.aq/e/ats.htm" target="_blank">Antarctic Treaty</a>. The United States Antarctic Program operates three research stations on this icy continent: McMurdo Station, Palmer Station and <a href="http://www.nsf.gov/geo/plr/support/southp.jsp" target="_blank">Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station</a>. The US has maintained a presence at the pole since 1956, when a Navy crew became the first to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overwintering" target="_blank">overwinter</a> here. The most recent addition is an elevated station that was built in 2003. I have the distinct privilege of being one of the few people to spend a winter at the southernmost point on the globe.<br /><br /><img src="https://www.omsi.edu/sites/all/FTP/images/Blog/Amundson-Scott.jpg" width="450" height="250" /> </p>
<p>The first impression that most people have of Antarctica is of extreme cold. Although it is currently “summer” here, it is indeed very cold. Typical temperatures are in the neighborhood of -25ºC (-13ºF), which can feel much colder with added wind chill. Fortunately we have very warm clothing to protect us from the subfreezing temperatures.</p>
<p>One curious fact about summer in the Antarctic is that the sun never sets! Over the course of the day, it circles the sky while remaining at essentially the same height. You might expect it to be warmer here with the sun always out, but for one, the sun doesn’t get very high in the sky and secondly it doesn’t come out at all during the other half of the year. Seasons here, like anywhere, are a consequence of the earth’s tilt. However, the solar cycle is experienced differently in the Polar Regions because line-of-sight to the sun is not lost as a result of our planet’s axial rotation; rather it is obscured due to the Earth’s orbital position, which will eventually bring on the winter season. Since winter is still several months away we can get into that later.</p>
<p>Anyway, that’s a quick introduction. I will explain more about the scientific research we conduct and life in the Antarctic next time!</p><div class="field field-name-field-tags field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Tags: </h3><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/369" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Antarctica</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/169" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">volunteering at OMSI</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-2" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/370" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">volunteers</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-3" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/371" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">science research</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-4" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/372" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Amundson-Scott</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-5" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/373" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">South Pole</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-6" rel="dc:subject"><a href="/taxonomy/term/374" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">exploration</a></li></ul></div><div class="field field-name-field-categories field-type-taxonomy-term-reference field-label-above clearfix"><h3 class="field-label">Categories: </h3><ul class="links"><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-0"><a href="/taxonomy/term/28" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">For Everyone</a></li><li class="taxonomy-term-reference-1"><a href="/taxonomy/term/17" typeof="skos:Concept" property="rdfs:label skos:prefLabel">Volunteers</a></li></ul></div>Thu, 09 Jan 2014 19:31:13 +0000Nicholas Papke9719 at https://www.omsi.eduhttps://www.omsi.edu/blog/the-antarctic-files-part-I#comments